Danusia Francis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Danusia Francis |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Danusia May Francis | ||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Nush | ||||||||||
| Country represented |  Jamaica |
||||||||||
| Former countries represented |  Great Britain |
||||||||||
| Born | 13 May 1994 Kenilworth, Warwickshire, United Kingdom |
||||||||||
| Spouse |
Elliott Reid
(m. 2022) |
||||||||||
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||
| Level | Senior International Elite | ||||||||||
| Club | Heathrow Gymnastics Club | ||||||||||
| College team | UCLA Bruins (2013–2016) | ||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Vincent Walduck | ||||||||||
| Former coach(es) | Valorie Kondos Field | ||||||||||
| Choreographer | Natalia Ilienko-Jarois | ||||||||||
| Music | Burlesque (2011–2012), Tango D'Amor (2012–present) | ||||||||||
| Retired | 29 May 2022 | ||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||
Danusia May Francis-Reid (born 13 May 1994) is a talented retired artistic gymnast. She has represented both Great Britain and Jamaica in big international competitions. Danusia was a backup athlete for Great Britain's team at the 2012 Olympic Games. Later, she competed for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team while studying at UCLA. She proudly represented Jamaica at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Danusia's Early Gymnastics Journey
Junior Successes: What Did Danusia Achieve?
In July 2009, Danusia competed at the British Championships. She showed great skill, finishing second overall. In the individual events, she won first place on the uneven bars, balance beam (tied), and floor exercise. This was a strong start to her career!
Danusia's Senior Career Highlights
2010: Overcoming Challenges
Danusia competed at the British Championships in July 2010. She earned third place in the all-around competition. She shared that she was very happy, especially after dealing with some injuries. It was a chance to show what she could do.
2011: Competing on the Big Stage
In February 2011, Danusia placed third at the English Championships. A big moment came in April at the 2011 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Germany. She made it to the all-around final, finishing twelfth in qualifications. She felt nervous but learned a lot from the experience. She said it helped her understand what it might be like to perform at the Olympics.
Later that year, in July, she was second in the all-around at the British Championships. In October, she helped the British team finish fifth at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Japan.
2012: Olympic Dreams
Danusia continued to shine in 2012. She placed second at the English Championships in March. In May, she helped the British team finish fourth at the 2012 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
She also took part in the Olympic trials for Great Britain. She placed second in the all-around at the first trial. At the final trial, the British Championships, she finished sixth. She was chosen as a reserve athlete for the 2012 London Olympic team.
2015: Representing Jamaica
After some time, Danusia returned to elite gymnastics in 2015. This time, she represented Jamaica at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Her performance helped Jamaica earn a spot at the 2016 Olympic Test Event.
2016: College Champion
While at UCLA, Danusia was recognized as an All-American gymnast. She also made the Pac-12 All-Conference teams. On April 15, 2016, Danusia became a co-champion on the balance beam at the 2016 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. This was a huge achievement in her college career!
2019: Heading to the Olympics
In October 2019, Danusia competed at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Her amazing performance earned her an individual spot for Jamaica at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo! She finished among the top gymnasts who weren't on a qualifying team.
2021: Olympic Spirit in Tokyo
At the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic), Danusia was set to compete. Just two days before, she found out she had a serious knee injury. Even with this challenge, she bravely chose to compete on the uneven bars. She showed incredible determination, even though her score was low due to the injury. Her spirit and courage were truly inspiring.
See also
- Nationality changes in gymnastics
